A variety of electronic computers are available for processing information and various data. Conventionally, computers use floppy discs as a media for external memory storage. Each floppY disc is made from a flexible magnetic disc which is sealed inside of a jacket or liner. The liner is normally made from soft sheetlike material such as a non-woven fabric. The liner protects the floppy magnetic disc from dust and, at the same time, provides the disc with an adequate amount of rotation torque.
The soft material which makes up the liner is inherently subject to elongation from the effect of tensile force. When producing liners by continuously cutting soft material which is subject to elongation due to the effect of tensile force, extreme care should be exercised to prevent the liner from incurring elongation, severance, and distortion caused by such tensile force. To prevent this, conventionally a cutting line of the basic pattern is sequentially and individually formed, either from above or from below, on the surface of soft material as it is conveyed in the horizontal direction, followed by removal of useless portions until only the essential portion remains for eventually making up the liner.
Nevertheless, when cutting soft material which is subject to elongation due to the effect of tensile force while conveying it in the horizontal direction, the cutting operation may be executed against the soft material which is already elongated by tensile force. Elongation causes the above soft material to incur distortion and slack, and as a result, any of conventional cutting apparatuses cannot properly and precisely form cutting lines, thus eventually lowering the precision of the cutout essential portion which constitutes the liner.
An object of the invention is to overcome the problems mentioned above by providing an apparatus for cutting continuous sheetlike soft material which is capable of properly and precisely forming cutting lines on the surface of soft material to promote precision of the finished-up essential portion after executing successive cutting operations to effect formation of cutting lines on both the left and right sides of the soft material as it is vertically conveyed in a downward direction.
To achieve the above object, the soft material cutting apparatus related to the invention is substantially comprised of an operation unit which supports a mold for forming cutting lines on the surface of soft material as it is vertically conveyed in a downward direction, and a driver unit which drives the operation unit horizontally in a reciprocal manner.
The soft material cutting apparatus related to the invention sequentially executes the operations including continuous supply of soft material from an upper position to a lower position and formation of cutting lines on the left and right sides of the soft material by operating the cutting-line forming mold supported by the operation unit. The conveying system of the apparatus causes the soft material to be supported and suspended in the vertically downward direction. This prevents soft material from incurring distortion and slack. Consequently, the apparatus can properly and precisely form cutting lines on the surface of soft material, thus eventually resulting in the desired precision of the essential cutout portion.